Aftermarket & OEM Window Regulator

Why won't your windows roll down?

A broken window regulator is easy to identify. If you have power windows and suspect your window regulator has failed, you can press your switch button and hear the motor turning but the window glass doesn't move. If you press your window switch and hear nothing, then the problem is likely an electrical one; check your switch or motor. You can tell a manual window regulator is broken when you can completely spin the window crank with no resistance OR if you simply can't turn it at all. Either way, your window glass won't move up or down and the problem lies somewhere inside that door shell of yours. It's your window regulator that you need to replace, and they don't last forever. The gears, springs, pulleys, cables, and all the other parts inside a window regulator have a finite lifespan - a limited number of up and down movements. And when that number has been reached, your window regulator will work no more.

Window regulators: more important than you think.

Max Brose debuted the first window regulator for automotive applications in 1928. It was a simple crank drive design with a wrap spring brake in the center to hold tension and keep the window in position. 30 years later, the power window regulator hit the market and became an instant favorite for drivers of luxury vehicles. Currently, modern window regulators have a sensor built into the track which detects the introduction of objects into the path of the glass. If the path is interrupted, the regulator will stop pushing the window up. This is known as "pinch-protection." While designs have migrated away from one large sprocket wheel acting driving the movement of the glass and toward a system of pulleys and cables moving the glass up and down, no window regulator has ever been made with an infinite working life. That means changing a power window regulator or manual window regulator is inevitable for any car owner.

How to install a window regulator.

Depending on your vehicle, removing and replacing your window regulator can be and easy to moderately difficult task. You will have to have some basic automotive tools such as ratchets, screwdrivers, pliers, grease, tape, etc. Since the procedure will vary slightly from car to car, use these steps as a guideline and adapt accordingly.

First, disconnect the battery. You will be dealing with electronics, so it is always safer to remove power from the equation.

Then, remove any components that are directly attached to the window regulator assembly. This means the window crank or control switch needs to be removed, and you might also have to remove door panels, arm rests, or other panels to access these components.

Now you can remove the entire door panel. If you haven't already done so, disconnect your power window switch wire harness connector so the door panel can be completely removed and set aside.

Next, expose the window control module (power windows only) and disconnect that as well.

The next step is to remove the regulator, so at this time you will want to prep the window glass. This is a safety issue, so make sure it is securely fixed in place. Some people use strong tape to fasten the glass to the door frame, some insert a wooden block into the door shell to prop the glass up. Since all designs differ, use the safest method of holding the glass in place while the regulator is removed. For this job, two people are better than one.

After the window glass is firmly held in place, you can remove the window regulator. If it is a power window, you will also have to remove the motor.

Finally, it is time to replace the old regulator with a new one. Simply perform the same steps in reverse, and you are done.

We've got you covered.

Buying a new window regulator for your car doesn't have to be as difficult as installing one. There are a handful of top quality brands out there, and we carry them. Other window regulators you might find online can be really cheap and inferior, and you should stay away from those. At Car Parts Discount, we have great reproduction window regulators as well as original equipment parts too. Plus, the prices can't be beat and we offer super fast shipping. Buy with confidence, and get your broken or old window regulator replaced as soon as possible with our help.